Their Biggest Adventure Yet
by ScottishLaura
Summary: This is a fanfic that I'm writing with Caitiebug, So Enjoy! It's a Shelby/Wing, Laura/Otto pairing, chosen by bug : Hope you all enjoy it!
1. Who's Following Who?

**A/N: OK guys, here it is. This is just a short snippet to see what you think. If you like it, then let me know, and Caitiebug and myself will continue on with it. Either way, ENJOY!!!**

Shelby wandered down the corridor, keeping up a brisk pace at the same time. Laura was walking alongside her, babbling on about computers, coding and whatnot. It wasn't too hard to pretend to be interested. What she really was interested in though, was the tall, slim, and yet muscular figure of the boy walking 50 yards in front of her. He seemed equally distracted, as the White Haired boy next to him was babbling on about something. Laura suddenly stopped walking, and Shelby, stunned, also stopped.

"Have you heard even one word of what I've been saying?" She asked impatiently.

"Well, I heard what you were saying at the start, then I stopped listening. The geekyness is enough during class. I don't need it while I'm in my relaxation time!" Shelby huffed, and frowned as she saw the two boys ahead of her disappear around a corner.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Laura muttered, annoyed at Shelby now.

"I was following-" She paused. Laura seized the opportunity.

"Who were you following? Wing??" It took all of Shelby's concentration not to attack Laura right there and then.

"No." She said, matter of factly, "I was following you." She was bluffing, but that was something Laura didn't need to know.

"Oh." Said Laura, taken aback. "Well, I was following you." Shelby raised an eyebrow.

"More like Otto." Laura pouted.

"Was not." Shelby sniggered.

"Sure, sure. Now, shall we at least attempt to get back to somewhere we can do something interesting?" Laura sighed.

"Fine. Let's go back to the atrium." The two girls pivoted and walked back the way they came, Shelby shooting on last fleeting look in the direction she had last seen Wing's back. Little did she know, the moment Shelby looked back to the front, Laura did the same.


	2. The Excitement Begins!

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to update, I swear I kept meaning to, I just forget sometimes… Anyway, Bug and I have been working really hard on this, so hopefully that means that now I'll update more often… It's holidays too, so that helps a little. So, enjoy, and review. Let me know how it's going, and if we should keep going!  
-Scottie **

That night, in their dormroom, a question was brought up.

"Shelby?" Laura asked as her upside down head became visible over the side of her bunk, peering down into Shelby's. It had been her turn for the bottom bunk tonight.

"What." Shelby was awake, wondering how she could've handled that situation better earlier that day.

"How do I get Otto- I mean, well, any boy in general..Aye, let me start over. How does a girl get a guy to notice her?"

Shelby grinned. "You said Otto."

"I did not!" She persisted, ruffled. "Just answer my question."

Shelby didn't honestly know. She was still trying to figure that one out.

"Shelby?" Shelby looked up again. "An answer, please?"

"Um." Shelby struggled to figure out what to say.

"How have you got a guy to notice you before?" Shelby was taken aback.

"What?"

"Don't tell me you've never had a boyfriend before." Shelby opened and closed her mouth a few times.

"You HAVEN'T!" Laura grinned.

Well, Shelby hadn't. She didn't know what to say about that.

"When the right guy is interested, maybe I'll let him date me," she said firmly, thinking of Wing. Laura echoed her thoughts.

"Wing." She grinned.

Shelby stuck out her tongue.

The next day, Otto was getting beat up again by Wing's attempts to teach him martial arts. Of course, the girls gathered around. This time Laura brought the popcorn.

She winced as Otto got blown onto the floor, once again. "Aye, I sure hope he's alright from that."

"Are you kidding?" Shelby grinned. "He's be bruising from that one for weeks!" She silently gawked at how strong Wing was. Laura giggled a little bit, and Shelby rolled her eyes.

"Gimme some of that popcorn, why don't you?" Laura grinned, and handed it over.

"At least I admitted it."

"Admitted what?"

"That I like Otto." Shelby grinned.

"You actually hadn't until then, but there you go." Laura grinned.

"Your turn!" Shelby raised an eyebrow.  
"My turn?"

"To admit it." Shelby grinned.

"Not a chance in hell," Shelby looked back to the boys. "You know, I think I might just wing it now." Laura smiled.

"So you DO admit it!" Shelby shook her head.

"NO!" Wing and Otto looked over to the girls.

"Is everything OK?" Otto called out. Laura opened her mouth.

"Uh, um," Shelby elbowed her.

"Yeah. We're just having girl time." Shelby grinned at Laura, and then turned to Wing. Her stomach dropped when she saw him staring at her.

"Uh, um." Laura elbowed Shelby this time.

"Good fighting Wing. Maybe you should try not to beat Otto up too much though." Otto smiled.

"I'm fine, trust me." He puffed his chest out, and started strutting around like an idiot. Laura and Shelby cracked up laughing, watching Wing sneak up behind him, and kick his feet out from under him. He hit the ground and groaned, and the two girls started laughing even more. Otto sat up, and joined in the laughter.

_Today_, thought Shelby, _Today I'm going to ask Wing_.

She wasn't sure what to ask, though, so that was her topic of thought all through the day.

"Shelby? Shelby? SHELBY!"

"Huh?"

She looked over to the very frizzled Laura Brand, who seemed to be trying to get her attention.  
"Did you here anything I said?" she asked in frustration.

"Nope," Shelby answered cheerfully. Thinking about Wing was _way_ cooler than anything she had to listen to.  
"Ugh!" Laura pounded and stomped away. Shelby couldn't help thinking, _what's her problem?, _but she knew perfectly well that she'd given Laura a hard time these last few days.

It was lunch when she worked up the courage. _I'm the wraith, _she said in her head, _and Wraiths don't hesitate. _

_"_Hey, Wing?" her voice was timid, so she tried again, stronger this time. "Wing?"

He turned around and strangely, his eyes widened. A strange warmth seemed to spread over Shelby. She had to stifle a giggle. She took a breath. "I challenge you to a grappling match after lunch." she put on the most confident, competitive grin she could muster. He returned it with his infatuating smile. Shelby thought she might melt in a puddle right there.

On the other side of the table, Laura sat next to Otto, the pair of them analysing a detailed blueprint of a design Professor Pike had come up with to reverse the effect his last machine had had on Ms. Leon.

"But the phase-shift is aligned too far over, and the beams will cross, which could be catastrophic." Laura reached to point to the phase-shifts, at the same time as Otto did. Laura opened her mouth.

"But if they're centered-" When Otto's hand landed on top of hers, she froze, and blushed a shade of red almost matching her hair. Otto's hand was resting on top of Laura's and neither of them spoke briefly, until Otto withdrew his hand. Laura continued.

"If the phase-shifts are centered on the frontal lobe, then they won't cross, and the mind shift should be correct." Otto frowned.

"But-" This time, he was interrupted by Nigel.

"Is this seat taken?" Nigel asked quietly. Otto shook his head, and Laura smiled at him. From that point on, Laura and Otto's conversation was almost non-existent, and every time Laura heard Otto's voice or his laugh, she began to blush. Suddenly, the bell went, and Laura was snapped from her semi-day-dream.

"Come on, Brand, we've got a stealth and evasion class to get to." Laura sighed, and grudgingly stood up, Shelby dragging Laura along, chatting excitedly about something Laura wasn't interested in.

"Laura? Laura? LAURA!" Laura was snapped back to reality.

"The phase-shift IS aligned right." Shelby raised an eyebrow.

"What? Laura, we have to go to class, you walked straight past it." Laura blushed.

"Sorry." Shelby grinned.

"You were thinking about Otto again, weren't you." Laura frowned.

"No." Shelby grinned.

"So when's the date?" Laura narrowed her eyes, and stepped towards Shelby.

"When's yours?" Shelby's face dropped.

"Uh," Laura grinned.

"There we go, problem solved." Shelby frowned again, and punched Laura playfully in the arm.

Shelby took in a deep breath, looking down into the canyon, above which they were going to grapple.

"Okay," She said, turning to Wing. He looked positively stunning in shorts and a black T-shirt. "Here's the plan. It'll be best two out of three. While one of us goes, the other one times them. The fastest one wins. You're going first."

"What, you're afraid?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"No!" Shelby exclaimed, poking him in the stomach. He poked her back, which gave her shivers.  
"Go," she said, grinning, pushing him toward the canyon. "Oh, yeah, you'll need these, I suppose, " she said, handing him two grapplers.

"Just might," He said, his eyebrow still cocked, as if trying to solve a difficult problem. He walked ever so gracefully onto the starting platform, hit the grappler trigger, and swung. Shelby started the timer and held her breath. The swiftness of his grappling was enough to take away breath. He jumped down onto the finish platform and took a bow. Shelby stopped the timer and applauded. 12.7 seconds on the clock.

That's how it was for a while. On the last round, Wing's average time was 10.8 seconds, and Shelby's was 13.5. She was determined to beat him. If she could get her time under 10 seconds, she would.

Shelby lifted her chin as she passed Wing. He couldn't help but smile.

She looked down into the gorge, to the deep water that lay below. _Okay. I'm going to win this._

She took off at an alarming rate, too fast even for Shelby. Her heart beat wildly. _This is too fast!_ She began to panic. _Too fast, too fast..._

"Chink!" her grappler, instead of sinking into the stone, just bounced off the rocky ceiling. Going too fast had disrupted the rhythm that had to be maintained to grapple; it didn't have enough time or was shot at the right angle to sink in.

Shelby screamed. She was no longer aware of the school, of Wing, of anything; just her and the terrifying drop between her and the water.

She tried her other grappler, to see if she could get another bearing, but she was too far away; the grappler stretched to its limit about 6 feet away from the ceiling.

Dropping, she tried to scream again, but her throat had closed up. From her first day at HIVE, she had always been able to get across the gorge- she had never fallen before. Not in grappling.

"Ching!" The sound of another grappler hitting the ceiling echoed through the walls, and-

"Ugh!" a body slammed into her falling one; an arm slid around her waist, and they swung.

He had to swing with one grappler because his other arm was around Shelby, but Wing had trained in one armed grappling.

They got to the platform, and he shakily let her go. They both fell to the ground, catching their breath.

"It's a good thing you're so light," Wing managed to say. Her cheeks got hot, and Shelby realized she was blushing.

Laura sighed, and rubbed her temples. She had been in the library all afternoon, she had left after Shelby had bailed on her to go and do some grappler training. Laura was sitting at a desk, pouring over a blueprint for a new defence system for a Shroud. The lights in the library began to flicker, a hint from the librarians that it was almost time for curfew. Laura sighed, rubbed her eyes, and stood up. She picked up a book she had taken from a shelf, a book about advanced technological systems, and then she spun to leave. As she hurried out of the library, someone tapped her on her shoulder. She spun around, and automatically aimed for a jab to the ribs. The person behind her tripped, and their leg caught on Laura's leg. She fell to the ground, but was saved the fall by landing on top of the other person. Both groaned, and Laura managed to roll off the other person, and sat up.

"Hi, Laura." The voice was familiar.

"Otto?" He grinned.

"What's up?" Laura frowned.

"Otto, here isn't the place for talking, curfew is in-" She flipped her blackbox open. "20 seconds." Otto swore. He stood up, and pulled Laura to her feet.

"Run!" The pair of them sprinted as fast as they could to their dorm block, but when they arrived, the door was sealed shut.

"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" Otto shouted. Laura sighed. There was a noise from around the hallway, and Otto and Laura flattened themselves face first into the door.

"What are you two doing out?" A guard shouted. They turned around.

"Uh, we-" The guard didn't ask for an explanation, he aimed his sleeper, and fired twice, the bolts of electricity hitting Laura in the chest. She crumpled to the floor, and Otto bent over and tried to help her. He turned back to the guard, and opened his mouth, but there was already a bolt of electricity was already on its way.

"The pair of you can spend the night in the hospital wing tonight." The guard reached for his intercom.

"This is Roy, please send backup to dorm block 7. We've had some students out past curfew. Repeat, send back up, over."

"Roger that, Roy. Back up on their way, over."

"Thanks Chief, This is Roy, over and out." He put his intercom back, and looked to the two students. The girl was crumpled into a ball, and the boy had fallen over her, almost protectively. He laughed, and separated them.

"Have a nice sleep, kiddies." He smiled, and walked away, the backup already passing him through a corridor...


	3. The Return and The Sadness

"Wing, where's Otto and Laura?" He had been looking around restlessly all day, so Shelby assumed those were who he was searching for now.

He shook his head, giving up. "I do not know."

"You don' think they're off making out somewhere, do you?" she asked, poking fun. She immediately burst out laughing at the prospect. Wing, however, knit his eyebrows, frowning. Shelby knew the idea had worried him, and promptly shut her mouth about it. "Sorry."

He only nodded.

By second class, Shelby really was worried. Why had they not shown up by now?

They did at lunch.

"Hey, guys," Otto said and slumped sleepily into the seat beside Wing, who was across the table from Shelby. Laura did the same, sliding ungracefully into the seat next to her.

"Where have you guys been?" Shelby practically yelled. "You've had me worried sick, and if you don't have a good explanation for almost giving me a heart attack, Imma pound you into the wall after lunch," Shelby huffed and re-tied her hair back, for it had fallen out from her ponytail while she had been chastising them. Wing gave her the ghost of a knowing smile- he remembered the time earlier when she was laughing about their disappearance. The smile was so subtle you could hardly see it.

"We were in the Library past curfew," Otto yawned, and the guard guy shot us with sleepers." At the mention of anything to do with sleep, Laura yawned, and because yawns are contagious, Otto did again. Once again Shelby noted how tired they were. Shadows lay under both of their eyes.

"You certainly could use some sleep," Wing recommended, echoing her thoughts.

"Maybe...we...will," Otto tried to say, but was attacked by yawns. Laura put her head down on her folded arms that were laid on the table, and Otto steadily followed suit. Within minutes, they were asleep, and Shelby and Wing stared at each other, unknowing of what to do.

The bell went for students to get to their next classes, and Wing and Shelby stood up.

"Laura, Otto, wake up." Shelby shook Laura, and Wing pulled Otto to his feet. They both groaned.

"But, I'm tired!" Laura complained, sleepily nonetheless. Wing was helping Otto to stand straight, and when he did, Otto's head slumped to the side, onto Wing's shoulder, and he began snoring again. Shelby laughed, then fell silent again. Laura was standing up, staggering forwards slightly. Shelby took her hand and led her to their next class. Wing was laughing at Otto and Shelby joined in. Otto looked around sleepily, trying to figure out the joke, and Laura struggled to figure out what was going on.

Shelby, Laura, Wing and Otto arrived to class 5 seconds before the doors slid closed. They slid into their seats, and Otto and Laura immediately slumped onto their arms. Wing and Shelby exchanged a worried glance. Professor Pike walked in.

"Now, class, today we-" He faltered as he looked at Otto and Laura. He cleared his throat.

"I wonder, Mr. Fanchu and Miss Trinity, if you would be so kind as to wake your friends up." They did as they were told. Laura and Otto looked around, disoriented.

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Brand, Mr. Malpense."

"Sorry sir." They chanted. Shelby raised a hand.

"Professor, can you please excuse them from class? They were in the hospital wing until lunch, and they're not feeling well." Professor Pike raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" Shelby nodded. "And what were they in the hospital wing for?" Shelby had to think quickly.

"They had a stomach bug." She spoke without faltering, her voice not wavering, her face not cracking. Professor Pike nodded.

"Alright then. Miss Brand, Mr. Malpense, you are excused for the rest of the day, but I expect you to be back tomorrow." They smiled sleepily, and walked back to their dorm block. When they arrived, Laura sat down on one of the couches, closed her eyes, and curled into a ball. She was soon asleep. Otto on the other hand was standing, watching her. She fell asleep, and Otto sat on the floor under her, watching a small smile creep across her face as she dreamed. Otto smiled, and Laura's hand fell off the couch, hanging limply down. Otto sighed, and laid his head against her hand, his back against the couch.

Laura woke with a start. She heard voices, and she pulled her hand up to rub her eyes, but when she moved it, she felt hair. She looked down, and smiled when she saw Otto, fast asleep, his head against her hand. She left her hand, and laid back down, closing her eyes. She was still tired, and she knew that Otto was too, so there was no point disturbing him. She closed her eyes, and began to drift off when she heard Shelby, Wing and the rest of the Alpha stream walk in.

Shelby worriedly paced her dorm room.

"You're going to make me sick if you carry on with that," Complained Laura, who had been watching her. "Either that or pace a groove in the floor."

"Then don't watch," snapped Shelby. She was way too apprehensive to talk to anyone civilly, even her best friend. Wing was leaving with Raven to look for Otto in a matter of mere hours...

Laura walked over and put a hand on Shelby's shoulder, stopping her from continuing her pacing.

"Look, Shel, I'm worried too," she said. To Shelby's scowl, she continued, "Do you not think I care about what happens to our friends? Otto's been gone for weeks now, and we don't even know where he is. Don't you think that's why I cry at night? Aye, I can't believe I'm saying this, but get a grip, Shelby. At least you still have Wing."

Ordinarily Shelby would have been really angry with Laura for saying these things, but she knew where her friend was coming from. The girl had been crying at night. Shelby had assumed that Laura thought she had been asleep. And Laura was right- She did still have Wing. She still knew where he was. While things could still go horribly wrong, it was still better than Otto's situation and how it was affecting Laura.

"So," Shelby said casually to Wing later that day, "You all packed?"

"Yes," answered Wing.

"Didn't forget anything?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Not that I know of."

"Come here," she sighed, leading him to a deserted hallway.

"Wing- I'm actually really worried."

"Don't be." His face was stone and expressionless, but his tone spoke volumes.

"Be careful, big guy, okay?" She took his hand and squeezed it.

"I will complete the mission with utmost care," he said, "Just because you asked me too." Shelby hoped he wasn't mocking her. She pushed him playfully. "I had to. We all know what a daring rebel you are." She smirked and rolled her eyes. He nudged her back. It was only a nudge for him, but it nearly took the breath out of Shelby. She staggered to keep from falling.

"Are you okay?"

"Yep, fine," she said. "I'm going to miss you," she sighed, then realizing what she was saying, added smugly, "Whether you want me to or not."

He shrugged. "I wouldn't mind." Shelby could've sworn she saw him smile to himself as he walked away.

The next few months went past in a blur. No Wing, no Otto, nothing to hold either Laura or Shelby's interest. The pair hardly talked, to each other or anyone else. There was nothing to talk about. One day though, just when Laura was giving up hope of Otto ever being found, she got a call on her blackbox. Doctor Nero wanted to see her in his office. She left her class ignoring all the strange looks from her classmates, ignoring the whispered question from Shelby. She just left. She mindlessly walked to Doctor Nero's office, not really thinking of what she had been called up for. She soon arrived, and knocked on the door. It slid open, and Laura stepped inside. Doctor Nero was sitting at his desk, looking tired. In the chair that had it's back to the door, Laura swore she saw a familiar tuft of white hair, but she stopped herself from thinking that, she knew there would be a dream, a nightmare that night if she didn't stop herself. She sighed and walked into the office, sitting in the vacant seat opposite the school's headmaster.  
"Miss Brand, I hope you are well." Laura shrugged.  
"I called you here because I have news." Laura looked up. "Good news." She allowed a glimmer of hope into her mind. Maybe they _had_ found Otto and were bringing him back.  
"Otto," Laura felt her heart jump, "has been recovered. Raven has succeeded in her mission, and she will be returning with Otto soon." Laura was now grinning. She briefly thought about what she was to tell Shelby. Shelby. Wing. Where was Wing?  
"Excuse me Doctor Nero, but what about Wing?" Nero frowned and looked to his desk.  
"That is unimportant for now. Once Raven has returned with Otto, she will leave to search for Wing." Laura's heart dropped. Wing was one of her best friends, and she knew that Shelby would be broken-hearted to know that Wing was gone. Laura looked to her feet.  
"Is that all?" Nero nodded. "Thank you." She stood up and left the room, the door sliding closed behind her. Laura began walking aimlessly. She wandered through the hallways, not really knowing where she was going. She ended up in her room, sitting on her bed, her head in her hands. She slowly began sobbing. All the fears and worries she had held in about Otto came out at once, and all Laura could do was curl up in a ball and wait for it to pass. The door slid open and closed at one point, but Laura made no effort to move. Someone came and sat down on her bed, her arms around Laura, gently rubbing her back and shoulders in a soothing motion. Laura's sobbing began to subside, and she spoke to Shelby.  
"They found Otto." Shelby smiled.  
"That's fantastic, Laura! Wing and Otto will be back soon and everything will be back to normal!" Laura shook her head.  
"Wing." Shelby froze. "He's missing." Shelby's arms dropped from around Laura and she stepped back. She walked sullenly over to her bed and sat down. Neither girl moved for a long time. Laura only moved when she was getting tired. She rolled over and pulled her sheets over her before turning out her lamp and closing her eyes. She knew that she was going to have a nightmare, but she didn't care. Otto was safe. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she thought she heard someone sobbing. She listened again, but to no avail. She sighed, and fell asleep. On the other side of the room, Shelby pulled her head back from under the pillow and sighed. That had been close. Shelby listened to Laura's steady breathing, unable to fall asleep. She continued on this pattern of not being able to sleep for a long time, until she finally figured how to escape her room after curfew.


	4. AWOL Returned Alive

**A/N: Hey everyone, Scottie here. Bug isn't here, but she did help write this bit of the story :) Anyway, sorry for taking soooo long to update again, I blame cricket, and Bug can blame me, 'cause it's my account… Maybe we'll just blame cricket… Anyway, we hope you all enjoy this part of the fanfic :) don't forget to review!**

**-ScottishLaura and Caitiebug16**

Shelby wandered the long empty hallway of the dorm block alone. She had gotten past the curfew, and now only felt like sleeping. Shelby sighed, and walked to the common room. She sat down on one of the couches, and sighed again. Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes. She hadn't heard from Wing for almost a month, but Otto and Raven had returned more then a week ago. Shelby rolled herself into a ball. She began sobbing quietly, until she was sobbing uncontrollably. She knew that someone may hear her at some point, but she didn't care. She felt empty inside not knowing where Wing was. There was a hiss as a door opened, but Shelby continued sobbing quietly. Someone sat down next to her. She kept sobbing. The person put an arm over her, and wrapped her in a hug. It was a firm, but gentle hug, and Shelby didn't even look up to see who it was. Soon, Shelby's sobbing quietened a little, and she looked up.

"Are you OK?" Shelby suddenly burst out crying again, and she dove onto the other person's chest. They rubbed her back gently and slowly, in a rhythmic pattern until she quietened down. Shelby looked up, and the boy sitting opposite her looked at her sympathetically. Shelby had tears in her eyes, and the boy wiped them off her face gently with a thumb. He spoke again.

"Shelby, what is wrong?" Shelby almost began sobbing again, but she managed to choke out a few words.

"Wing. Where were you?" Wing began to explain, and Shelby gently sobbed again. Wing wrapped her up in a hug, and she rested her head on his shoulder until soon, Wings' calm voice and rhythmic rubbing of her back lulled her to sleep. Wing gently picked her up, and carried her to her room. He couldn't get the door open, so he knocked until the door opened. Laura peered out sleepily.

"Whu-?" Wing smiled.

"Can I come in?" He whispered. Laura nodded, and slid the door open further.

"Is she OK?" Wing nodded.

"She'll be fine. She just needs to sleep." Laura nodded. Wing gently put Shelby down on her bed, and covered her in her with her sheets. He stepped back, and smiled as the sleeping girl rolled over slightly. She smiled in her sleep, and Wing smiled a tiny bit. Wing stepped forwards once more, and smoothed her hair down. He gently kissed her on the head, and turned and left without looking back. Laura was standing in the centre of the room, her half asleep brain still processing. She smiled to herself, and climbed back into her bed, turning the lights out. The room was soon filled with deep, even breathing...

"Aye, Shel, what's with the ridiculous grin on your face?" Indeed, Shelby had walked in with a huge smile, which was wiped clean off her face with Laura's obnoxious comment.

"I think it has something to do with Wing's arrival yesterday," Otto leaned in and whispered in her ear. Laura giggled.

"I suspect that I am being talked about," Wing stepped in, eyebrow cocked towards the mischievouspair.

Laura was flabbergasted. "How did you hear that?"

"I didn't," Wing answered with a straight face. "Like I said previously, I only suspected. It seems that I was right."

"Good going, Laura," Otto pinched her arm playfully. She felt her face grow hot.

The bell rang for second class.

"Onward, to the wonderful world of political studies," Otto said with absolutely no enthusiasm. Shelby groaned without missing a beat, and Wing looked as if he would rather like to groan, too.

"I don't understand why you three don't like it," Laura started her lecture as they walked. "Political Studies is one of the most important lessons in the school. If you didn't learn it-"

"Laura," Otto said patiently, "give it a rest." She promptly shut her mouth; Shelby and Wing shared a knowing look about Laura's obedience. They immediately struck up a conversation, and Laura fell to the back.

"Hey," Otto appeared next to her. "I got you something." In his hand was a rolled up sheet of paper. She took it and unrolled it.

"Otto!" She gasped as he grinned. "Where did you get this? You know I've been trying to.."

"Professer Pike's lab," he shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is," She said softly, and the back of his hand brushed hers.

Otto turned away from Laura slightly and smiled to himself. At that moment, Wing turned around and started grinning like a maniac. He dropped back next to Otto, and eventually Laura was chatting with Shelby.

"I see you're very happy." Otto grinned.

"Why shouldn't I be? Everything I live for is here, so why not be happy?" Wing raised an eyebrow.

"Everything you live for?" Otto nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, you, Laura, my friends," he immediately stopped.

"Laura, hey?" Wing was grinning so hard now. Otto bit his lip.

"Uh, did I say Laura? I meant uh-"

"Give it up, Otto. Pretty much the entire stream knows, get over it." Otto sighed.

"So what's that saying for you and Shelby? I'm pretty sure the entire school knows by now." Wing frowned. Otto grinned. The two boys hurried forwards towards Laura and Shelby. The four walked in silence towards their next class. When they arrived, the door was still closed, so Otto took the opportunity to talk to Laura.

"Hey, Laura?" She looked up, brushing a strand of loose hair from her eyes.

"mm?" She sounded distracted.

"Is everything OK?" She nodded,

"Yeah, I was just remembering that night, you know, when we were in the library past curfew?" Otto nodded. "That was fun." Otto smiled.

"Are you saying we should try our luck again?" Laura grinned.

"Sounds fun. Tonight at the library?" Otto nodded.

"It's a date, then."

Later that night, after dinner, Laura and Otto had left Shelby and Wing in the dining hall and walked the short distance to the library. Otto had wondered off, probably looking for a textbook of some kind to read.

Laura was sitting quietly at a desk, a few books scattered around her, the paper Otto had given her before hidden slightly under a book. Otto walked quietly behind Laura without her noticing. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and spoke into her ear.

"Guess who?" Laura jumped and Otto chuckled. He pulled the chair out next to her, and together, the pair began to look over the blueprints together. Soon, the lights began to flicker in the library, the cue for the pair to leave. Laura quickly picked up the books that were around her, and Otto grabbed the blueprint before the pair hurried from the library. When they were outside, Otto grinned at Laura and they set off running, semi rushing to beat curfew. They raced through the corridors, smiling as they knew they were going to make it. Suddenly, Laura tripped and fell over, her body falling onto the floor, hard on her side. There was a crunching noise and Laura cried out in pain. Otto stopped running, and went back to Laura. She was whimpering quietly, clutching her arm. She had her eyes shut, and her breathing was uneven, so Otto gently picked her up and carried her over to the entry to the dorm block. It was closed. Otto swore.

"I didn't mean for us to miss curfew again, Laura. I'm sorry." He whispered into Laura's ear. She groaned slightly, but didn't move otherwise. Otto sighed, and sat down with his back against the door. Soon Laura's breathing became steady, and Otto began to feel sleepy. He put his head against Laura's and fell asleep, listening to Laura's breathing.

Shelby sighed. Otto and Laura scrambled off to the library, leaving Wing and Shelby in the Dining Hall. Wing watched them turn out of the cafeteria with a face that showed no emotion. However, he was worried on the inside. The four had always been good friends. Now that they were all falling for each other, would it be the same, or would Otto forget about his best friend? Thoughts like these clouded Wing's mind.

"Helloooo? Wing? Anybody home?" Shelby flicked his ear.

He simply turned around and looked at her, but it seemed to make her blush. Wing had done nothing!

"So, it seems those lovebirds went and ditched us," Shelby said, sticking her tongue out at the door, returning to her normal self. Wing could have sighed with relief. He didn't know what to do when she blushed. Seeing her blush made him want to blush, and that was not a good thing, since he was supposed to be keeping his emotions inside. That was what Raven was teaching him when she could. He had already slipped up today when Otto's denial of liking Laura made him grin.

"Hey! Hey, tough guy, talk to me here."

He raised his eyebrows. "Alright."

Her foot nudged his from under the table. "What's your favourite colour?"

He nudged hers back after a pause. "I don't have one."

Nudge. "Really?"

Nudge. "No." He was oddly tempted to smile, even though the situation was ridiculous.

She nudged his foot and smiled maliciously. "Turn around."

He was taken aback. "What are you going to do?"

She grinned. "Just turn around."

He did as he was told, but felt a slight prickle of unease. He felt his hair being gently taken out of the low ponytail, and was being played with.

"What are you doing?" He asked softly, looking to see if anyone had noticed. No, everyone was busy with their own friends.

"Braiding your hair," She said cheerfully. He knew she was grinning behind him. Wing didn't know if he should let this go on or not, but it seemed he didn't have a choice. Grudgingly, he admitted to himself that her fingers sliding through his hair were not all that bad a feeling. He could get used to this.

"Otto? Otto, wake up. Otto!" He felt a sudden cold prickling on his head, trickling down his head.  
"If you just poured water in my hair," he started. Otto looked up, intending to pound whoever it was that had woken him until he realised it was Wing and Shelby. Shelby was off with Laura, carefully checking her arm for breaks.  
"What happened?" Otto thought back.  
"We were trying to beat the curfew, we were nearly here, and then she tripped. When I got her up, the door was closed." Wing nodded, and pulled Otto to his feet.  
"We should take her to the infirmary." Otto nodded. He was grateful for Wing's clear head and guidance. He looked back to Laura who was now awake. She was grimacing every time she moved. Shelby was standing next to Laura supporting her, and Wing walked over to her, also supporting. Together, the group made it to the infirmary and sat Laura down on a bed. A nurse came in, a young guy, maybe 20? He walked over to Laura and quietly talked to her. After a few minutes, he began testing her arm, asking where it hurt. Laura winced almost every time he tested something, and Otto winced with her. The nurse walked over to the trio.  
"Well, guys, it looks like your buddy's broken her arm in about three places, and she's dislocated her shoulder." Otto nodded. The nurse kept talking, but Otto didn't care. Laura was now lying on the bed looking pale and sick. Almost as if she felt Otto watching her, she looked to him, and he mouthed  
"_Sorry_." She smiled.  
"_That's OK, it was my idea anyway." _ Otto smiled sadly. The nurse began to usher the group out, and Otto had no choice but to leave too. He shot a last glance over his shoulder, and saw Laura still smiling at him sadly.


	5. Big News!

**A/N: Hello! I'm so so so so so so so so so so soooo sorry for not updating in so long. It's partially my fault, for being so slow with my emails to Bug for updates, but you'll be please to know that we've got plenty in store for you all soon :D So, I hope you all like this next part of the story, I know I enjoyed writing it… Well, the bits that I wrote and Big didn't, anyway…  
-ScottishLaura and Caitiebug16**

The next day, at break, all the classes were buzzing with excitement. Wing had apparently missed the memo.

"What is everyone so energetic for?" Wing asked his friends, looking around.

Shelby looked at him like he had suddenly sprung another head. "There's going to be a huge school dance, Wing! How did you not know? This is going to be soooo cool!"

"No more coffee for you at breakfast," Laura commented, rolling her eyes. Otto chuckled.

"Shelby's pretty excited, can you tell?"

Wing nodded, eyeing the blonde with mock concern. "Indeed. No more coffee." Shelby rolled her eyes, and Otto moved over to sit next to Laura. He pulled a permanent marker from his pencil case.  
"Now that you have a cast, and it's partially my fault, I think I get the honour of signing it first. Laura smiled.  
"Shelby beat you to it." She twisted to arm to the side and showed Otto Shelby's signature. Otto mocked sadness.  
"Aw. You think you'd've let me sign it first." Laura smiled.  
"Well, Shelby is my roomy, and she did ask first." Otto grinned.  
"I know, I was just kidding." Laura smiled again. "Oh, and by the way," Otto continued. "I think I owe you a hug for being such a horrible friend last night." Laura smiled.  
"I honestly don't blame you." Otto smiled, and wrapped Laura up in a gentle hug, anyway. Shelby was in front of Laura, and she swooned at the pair. Laura rolled her eyes.

Wing watched Shelby swoon dramatically with a hint of amusement. You just can't suppress a drama queen. He looked over to see what Otto thought, but his friend was hugging Laura. That feeling came over Wing again, the feeling that he was slowly disappearing from Otto's life. He knew inside it wasn't quite true, but it was still an unsettling emotion. However, his face remained expressionless as Otto and Laura broke apart.

"I can't wait!" Shelby said excitedly, literally bouncing in her chair.

"Chill out," Laura said, laughing.

"When is this dance, anyway?" Wing asked.

Otto opened his blackbox. "Friday." Wing sighed.

"And I suppose we have to dress up?" Shelby grinned.

"You got that right, big guy." Otto chuckled, but Laura didn't miss a trick.

"That means you too, Otto." His face fell as he realised what that meant. Shelby grinned. She turned to Laura.

"And you! How are we supposed to get you into a dress with that thing on?" She gestured to Laura's cast which now had a small scrawled self-portrait of Otto on it. Laura grinned.

"Blame him." She waved her arm in the direction of Otto and Wing.

"Oh, I think I just might." Laura grinned.

"How are we getting all this stuff, anyway?" Laura asked. Shelby grinned.

"I interrogated H.I.V. this morning, he said that we have a fitting this afternoon, and then we get to choose from a selection of things what we're wearing." Laura nodded. Shelby turned back to the boys' who were in a conversation about something, their backs to the girls. Shelby grinned, and pointed to them. Laura nodded. The two of them snuck towards the boys, then jumped at them. Laura wrapped one arm over Otto's eyes, her injured arm down at her side. Shelby tapped Wing on the shoulder, jumped out of his line of sight, and then wrapped her arms around his waist. Otto jumped in fright, knocking Laura to the floor. He turned around, and then hurriedly pulled her back to her feet.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" He wrapped her up in a hug, not worrying about what anyone else thought. Laura smiled, and hugged Otto back. Shelby smiled. The bell went, and the crowd dispersed. The four walked to their next class, and walked in. They sat down. Doctor Nero walked in, and the door closed behind him. He stood at the lectern at the front of the room, and began speaking.  
"Any leader knows that first, you must become a good servant, or at least seem to be." Shelby began doodling in her notebook. Laura looked over to what she was drawing. It looked like a ball gown. She looked up to Shelby who seemed to be daydreaming.  
"Miss Brand?" Laura looked up. "Feel free to answer my question." Laura shot a look to Otto.  
"Uh," Otto scribbled something down on some paper, and slid it towards Laura. She quickly read it.  
"Robert Greenleaf?" Nero raised an eyebrow.  
"Correct. And next time, Mr. Malpense, I think you should let your girlfriend answer her the question on her own." Otto looked down, and Laura blushed.  
"Uh, Sir. I think that was unfair." Otto called out when Nero had turned away.  
"What was unfair?"  
"It was my fault; you didn't have to embarrass Laura, too." Nero smiled.  
"Embarrassed now, are we?" Otto frowned.  
"Not so much me as Laura." Otto smiled at her. "And now that we're in this awkward position, I was just wondering if you would come to the dance as my date." The class gasped. Laura smiled.  
"Of course I will!" Otto grinned. Some of the girls in the class went "Aww". Shelby leaned over to Wing.  
"That was unexpected," she whispered in Wing's ear.  
"I believe you mean the circumstances, not the situation." Shelby grinned.  
"Got it in one, big guy." Wing smiled slightly, and they turned their attention back to the front of the room, semi-listening to Nero's lecture. Otto and Laura however, were paying next to no attention whatsoever. After class, people were shooting weird looks at Otto and Laura, who were now holding hands, but neither of them cared. Laura smiled at Wing.  
"Your turn now." The four of them left, and on arriving at the dorm block, Wing pulled Shelby away from Laura and Otto. Neither of them noticed, however, they were being forced by the crowd into the dorm block. Otto and Laura separated with a smile, and Laura walked, dazed into her room.

Wing knew that there was a dance on Friday, but he never really considered _himself_ going until Laura whispered to him,  
"Your turn now." Then it occurred to him that he had to find a date. Shelby instantly appeared in his mind at the word "date", but he forced it out. She would be expecting it, most likely. He wanted to do something...well, unexpected. He just didn't know what.

"So, um," Shelby said, playing with a strand of hair from her ponytail, looking flustered. It took Wing a moment to realize she wasn't going to continue until he said something.

"Yes?"

She still wouldn't look at him. Just the ceiling. "Um, I was just wondering if you were going with anybody. You know, to the dance."

You, hopefully. He wanted to say it, but the words never left his brain. He didn't say anything.

"Sorry," She fumbled after a long silence, sounding hurt, "I have to go. Pike's lab waits for no woman."

And before Wing knew what had happened, he had lost her. He felt like an idiot as he walked to his next class. Who was he fooling? He wanted to be her date. He just didn't have the guts to ask her.

That evening in the dorm room, Otto brought it up. "So I'm going with Laura," he said cheerfully, more to himself than Wing. He turned. "Naturally, you're going with Shelby, right?"

Wing let out a sigh. "Not yet."

"Not yet?" Otto smirked, knowing exactly what held Wing up.

"Don't look so smug, Otto. Yes, not yet. I haven't asked her." Wing looked defeated.

"Come on," Otto urged, "It's not that hard."

"It's not that hard for _you,"_ Wing said, standing up to pace the dorm. "I'm not bold like you. I could never have done what you did today."

"What, asking Laura out in front of the whole class?" Otto grinned.

"Exactly. I am just not able to attempt such things." Wing sighed, and collapsed on the bottom bunk.

"But you _do _want to go with her, right?" Otto asked, just to make sure.

"Yes," Wing said after a pause.

"Why do you hesitate? The whole world knows you like her." Otto's grin got considerably wider. Wing sat up, a worried expression on his face.

"I'm kidding, Wing." Otto laughed. "You do a very good job of hiding it."

The next day, the four walked to their classes, Laura and Otto looking very happy, Wing expressionless as always, and Shelby brooding about something. They all knew what it was about. At last, Wing piped up.

"You all go on ahead," He said to Otto and Laura. Shelby looked up from her shoes with a hopeful face. Laura and Otto glanced at each other, smiled, and left.

"Wing?" Shelby prompted him.

"Hey, Shelby," he blushed, waiting for the words to come. Her eyes sparkled, and he knew what he had to ask.

"Shelby, would you want to come to the dance with me?"


	6. Authors Note

Hi guys!

I'm so, so, so very sorry that I haven't updated anything in ages… And to come with excuses – I've been extremely busy with my exams/upper school stuff and my Grandma has been in and out of hospital. So yes. I will work very hard to update something soon, but in less then 3 months, school will be finished for the year, and I'll have no excuse for not writing. So if I haven't updated in another 3 months, bug me until I do! :)

You guys are awesome!

-Scottie


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